Bushwalks and nature treks in Townsville
Townsville Walks
Townsville has a strong inventory of national parks in the region. Just eight kilometres away by passenger or vehicular ferry, Magnetic Island will cast its alluring magnetism on you. This 39,900 hectare island will take your breath away with its awesome granite boulders, pretty seaside villages, fringing reefs and beautiful sandy coves.
More than two thirds of this visually stunning island is national park with 25km of interpretive walking tracks. Magnetic Island hosts Australia's largest population of koalas in the wild - often seen on the Forts Walk. Here you will find impressive World War II gun emplacements and glorious views over the island's 23 bays. Other tracks lead to magnificent, deserted beaches.
Just north of Townsville, the Town Common is birdwatchers' bliss. Nearly 300 bird species chatter, honk and squawk among the various habitats. They can be easily seen from special hides.
Near Cardwell, Hinchinbrook Island's rugged terrain challenges wilderness hikers on the 32km-Thorsborne Trail, which has an international reputation. Hinchinbrook Island is renowned for its habitats. Its extensive mangrove forests are among the richest and most diverse in Australia. They are important breeding grounds for many marine animals. Other habitats include saltpans, eucalypt forest, rainforest, freshwater melaleuca swamps, heaths and sloping mountain rock pavements.
The trail is not a graded or hardened walking track and in some areas is rough and difficult to traverse. To help minimise environmental impact and to maintain the wilderness setting, permits are issued for a maximum of 40 people on the trail at any time. The largest group size is six. A minimum of three nights and four days is required to traverse the trail between Ramsay Bay and George Point. Return walks are possible depending on time available.
Walking quickly does not allow enough time to see the area, to swim or to really enjoy the walk. Plan to walk from Ramsay Bay to Little Ramsay Bay in one day, from Little Ramsay Bay to Zoe Bay in another day, and from Zoe Bay to Mulligan Bay on a third. April to September are the best months for hiking. This period avoids the very 'wet' and the very 'dry'.
The Wet Tropics Great! Walk is the longest of Queensland's Great! Walks, traversing 110km of rugged north Queensland landscapes in Girringun National Park, west of Cardwell and Ingham. The walk links two of Queensland's most beautiful waterfalls - Wallaman Falls and Blencoe Falls.
There are over 150 managed walks in the Wet Tropics. Those listed on this site will only give you a taste to experience the diversity of the Wet Tropics environments. To discover even more of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, visit http://www.wettropics.gov.au.
